Most Memorable TV Scenes of the 2013-14 Season

Introduction

"American Horror Story: Coven"

"Breaking Bad"

"Brooklyn Nine-Nine"

"Fargo"

"Game of Thrones"

"The Good Wife"

"Homeland"

"House of Cards"

"Justified"

"Key & Peele"

"Mad Men"

"Modern Family"

“The Big Bang Theory”

"Orange Is the New Black"

"Parks and Recreation"

"Shameless"

"Silicon Valley"

"Sons of Anarchy"

"Top Chef"

"True Detective"

"Vikings"

"Veep"

"Walking Dead"

When it comes to crowning a winner in the oft-heated Emmy race — be it for best show, actor or actress, or even writer — it often boils down to a standout scene that, for whatever reason, captures the Academy’s attention. This year’s contenders feature a bevy of heart-stopping, tear-jerking moments that could easly bowl over voters.

(season 3, ep. 11: “Protect the Coven”) FX

Though Jessica Lange’s Fiona Goode and Angela Bassett’s Marie Laveau spent most of the “Coven” season at odds, when they finally teamed up to take down the Delphi Trust witch hunters with the help of the Axeman, it was altogether as magical and as horrifying as anyone could have expected. — Alex Stedman

(season 5, ep. 9 “Blood Money”)

After years playing cat and mouse, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is found out by his DEA agent brother-in-law Hank (Dean Norris), and their tense exchange in a garage sets up everything that follows in a final season that, to paraphrase Jesse Pinkman, will be remembered as “That’s how you end a show, bitch!” — Brian Lowry

(season 1, ep. 11 “Christmas”) Fox

As the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” team closes in on an assailant targeting their captain, the attacker fires. Detective Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) leaps in front to protect his team mate, on whom he has a crush. He takes two for the team, on his butt. — Shalini Dore

(season 1, ep. 1)

In a little masterpiece of tension, a local deputy (Colin Hanks) stops contract killer Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton), who tells him that — whatever he might have done — the cop will live longer if he just lets him go. Perhaps nothing else in the show’s early going better approximated the feel of the Coen brothers classic on which the FX miniseries is based. — Brian Lowry

(season 4, ep. 2, “The Lion and the Rose”) HBO

“Game of Thrones” has not only made a name for itself by killing off popular, or in this case, unpopular, characters, but also doing so at a wedding. Season four’s “The Lion and the Rose” did just that with the death of the loathed King Joffrey. It wasn’t just the death that made the moment so powerful but how director Alex Graves captured the tension building at the ceremony with the audience on edge expecting the worst before the climatic end. — Justin Kroll

(season 5, ep. 15 “Dramatics, Your Honor”) CBS

Killing off a central character is always a bold and risky move, especially in a low body-count legal drama. “The Good Wife” creators Robert and Michelle King chose to reveal central character Will Gardner’s (Josh Charles) death in real time. Shots were fired, reverberating through the courthouse. Panic ensued. Police were called. But it wasn’t until Kalinda (Archie Panjabi), the firm’s investigator, pushed past police into a courtroom with the sound of an empty gun trigger being pulled repeatedly and blood on the floor, that viewers realized Will was the victim. — Alexandra Cheney

(season 3, episode 12 “The Star”) Showtime

Nicholas Brody’s death by hanging in the third-season finale was as powerful as it was mostly unexpected. The show’s plot twists had become so convoluted that viewers were no doubt predicting a last-second reprieve right up until there was no doubt left. Instead of histrionics, the quiet shock displayed by Claire Danes’ Carrie Mathison from behind a chain-link fence only heightened the drama. — Cynthia Littleton

(Season 2, ep. 4) Netflix

Yes, Zoe Barnes’ (Kate Mara) final conversation with former paramour/favorite source Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) was both shocking and explained the reason why binge watching is so popular, but “Cards” fans should not overlook the (possibly?) calculated play by Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) as she came (somewhat) clean about her abortion history in a live television interview, enacting revenge on a man who raped her in college. Make no mistake, no matter how long it takes, the Underwoods squash all who try to crush them. — Whitney Friedlander

(season 5, ep. 12 “Starvation”) FX

After a sting operation to nab villain du jour Daryl Crowe Jr. (Michael Rapaport) goes south, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) renegs on his promise to wipe crime kingpin Boyd Crowder’s (Walter Goggins) file clean, giving him a verbal lashing that leaves even the silver-tongued Boyd reeling. “Think of the suffering and the dead, many felled by your own hands,” says Givens, “a trail of human wreckage you’ve left rotting in jail cells and cold graves throughout this state. And why? Because they had the poor judgment to believe your lies and follow your tune. Well, it’s high time that tune reaches a shattering crescendo.” — Steve Chagollan

(season 3, ep. 3.1) Comedy Central

How is it possible to single out one scene from this season? There were the Batman-obsessed valets, a meeting of the Tallahassee black Republicans, the office homophobe and a short but devastating look at hoodies in an all-white neighborhood. But for sheer dazzle, it’s hard to top their “Les Miserables” spoof, which captured the rich look of the film and showcased the stars’ surprisingly good vocals. The premise is that the Javert character is trying to sing his heart out while multiple characters also want to pipe in, prompting him to belt out “One at a time!” — Tim Gray

(season 6, ep. 13) AMC

Sometimes, the best scenes don’t need many words at all. A humbled Don Draper took his children to see where he grew up, revealing at last his long-held secrets — and the look exchanged between Jon Hamm and Kiernan Shipka spoke volumes. Might there be hope for the severed connection between father and daughter? We had to wait a year to find out. — Debra Birnbaum

(season 5, ep. 18 “Las Vegas”)

Even in its fifth season, “Modern Family” is managing to top itself and the episode “Las Vegas” was one of its best yet. The episode has more twists and turns than the “The Usual Suspects,” all of which tie together brilliantly when Phil (Ty Burrell) demonstrates his magic trick and Gloria (Sofia Vergara) emerges dressed in a maid costume. A perfect ending to a madcap comedy. — Jenelle Riley

(Season 7, Ep. 15 “The Locomotive Manipulation”) CBS

When it comes to romance, there’s glacial… and then there’s the pace of Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler’s relationship. But giving new hope to Shamy-shippers, the Big Bang couple took a giant romantic leap forward on Valentine’s Day, when Sheldon finally kissed Amy. On the lips. Most shocking of all, he even seemed to enjoy it! Bazinga, indeed.

(season 1 Ep. 13 “Can’t Fix Crazy”) Netflix

While a stabbing shouldn’t come as a big surprise in a prison-based show like “Orange Is the New Black,” Piper losing her mind and snapping at Pennsatucky was the unforgettable jaw dropper that let Taylor Schilling shine and show how terrifying and unhinged Piper could be. It also left fans begging for a season two. — Alex Stedman

(season 6, ep. 6 “Filibuster”) NBC

There really isn’t anything funny about a politician standing up, literally and figuratively, against antiquated laws that she feels deny her constituents basic rights — unless, of course, that politician happens to be Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler). In “Parks and Recreation’s” take on the infamous Wendy Davis filibuster, Leslie, clad in roller skates and 1990s-style overalls, must fight epic temperatures, cravings for birthday cake and lack of bathroom breaks to ensure that some new constituents have the right to vote. It works and she wins the ruling — even if it is a bittersweet decision, as the people she was fighting for are planning to vote her out of office. — Whitney Friedlander

(Season 4, ep. 6, “Iron City”) Showtime

One of the most underrated series on TV, “Shameless” combines raunchy, smart language with honest, real world problems that epitomize the word “dramedy.” Maybe nowhere was it more obvious this season than the harsh and humiliating strip search to which Fiona (Emmy Rossum) is subjugated after her little brother gets into her cocaine. The fact that the series also included a low-rent brothel opening above a blue-collar dive bar, a wedding where one of the couple is unconscious and a man expecting babies with both his wife and her mother are the reasons it’s acceptable to enter this show in the comedy category. — Whitney Friedlander

(season 1, ep. 5 “Signaling Risk”) HBO

Episode 5 centers on graffiti artist Chuy creating a logo for the startup company. The episode (like the series itself) is consistently hilarious, but the highlight centers on self-obsessed tech billionaire Gavin Belson (Matt Ross) using the next step in video-conferencing: holograms. Gavin is in a remote part of Wyoming and is trying to worm information out of the sweet-but-vague Big Head (Josh Brener) in California. Casually arrogant about the hologram breakthrough, Gavin becomes increasingly frustrated as the tech glitches undercut his attempts at communication. — Tim Gray

(ep. 5, “John 8:32”) FX

A key scene involved Jax (Charlie Hunnam) in his tense negotiations with DA Patterson (guest CCH Pounder), pleading for immunity for the bike club. This show is the great divider: People love it or hate it. But even the haters have to admit that it’s exceedingly well done, and this scene spotlights the series’ strengths: great writing in the one-on-one scenes (in this case, by Kem Nunn & Kurt Sutter) and terrific acting. The tension is palpable and, while Jax is a little oblivious in his personal relationships, the scene shows his cunning and integrity. — Tim Gray

(Season 11, ep. 17 “Finale”) Bravo

How does a cooking show keep things, um, fresh? Throw in a finale where it looks like the wrong chef is crowned the winner. Unlike other reality competition shows like “Project Runway” or “The Voice,” the “Top Chef,” audiences cannot experience the contestants’ products themselves and have only the judges’ reactions to guide them. And when head judge Tom Colicchio doesn’t look happy with the outcome, it’s no wonder fans won’t get behind a winner who seemingly skated by all season despite not knowing how to use salt. Cue the think pieces/recaps like the A.V. Club’s “How ‘Top Chef’ Finale Tarnished Its Brand” and a hiatus to wonder if the show can redeem itself next season. — Whitney Friedlander

(season 1, ep. 4 “Who Goes There”)

“True Detective” took a break from its hypnotic intercutting of past and present for a midseason tour de force: A six-minute continuous shot following Louisiana cop Rustin Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) — working undercover in 1995, outside his jurisdiction — as he flees a shootout, gang member in tow, while an entire Beaumont, Texas, neighborhood seems to rise up to fight him. It’s not just a bravura camera move. Rust’s efforts to protect innocents, especially children, in the firefight help tell us that he’s not the serial killer present-day cops think he is. — David Cohen

(season 2, ep. 7 “Blood Eagle”) History

At the end of episode 7 this season, Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) kills his enemy via a Norse ritual called “blood eagle”: He slices open the man’s back, removes his lungs and places them on his shoulders, like wings. It’s gruesome, but discreetly handled and the editing, production design and cinematography make the scene oddly beautiful. Aside from providing an adrenalin jolt to the plot, the scene sums up the series’ key themes of a culture in the midst of upheaval, with Christianity vs. paganism, barbarism vs. civilization, and compassion vs. animal instinct. It’s haunting, for the right reasons. — Tim Gray

(Season 3, ep. 1 “Some New Beginnings”) HBO

All those waiting to experience schadenfreude for their workplace enemies’ falls from grace can live vicariously through VP Selina Meyer’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) staff as perennial thorn in their sides Jonah (Timothy Simons) gets the boot from his cush job at the White House for being stupid enough to insinuate on his (previously ignored) blog that the commander in chief isn’t seeking re-election. As Jonah stumbles out of the office, dropping his belongings and threatening to share the staff Wi-Fi password with the world, it feels as if even the evilest of office co-workers can be brought to justice. — Whitney Friedlander

(season 4, ep. 14 “The Grove”) AMC

“The Walking Dead” has pushed boundaries over its four-season span but nothing shook the ground quite as much as when Carol (Melissa McBride) made the decision to execute 11-year-old Lizzie after she killed her sister in cold blood. In a world built around a zombie apocalypse, the show’s most impactful moments often have nothing to do with the evil monsters but rather the horrific actions the humans take on other humans. This moment was powerful due to the manner it was handled and the actors who bravely took it on. — Justin Kroll

Ray Seward’s execution in The Killing, as played by Peter Sarsgaard; any scene with Joel Kinnaman as Holder with street kid Bullet, Bex Taylot-Klaus, same series. I watched many of the shows above, but these scenes have stuck in my brain for well over a year, and are still far stronger and emotional than most of the above.